Cognizant announced today a strategic, five-year, enterprise-wide
partnership with The Andover Companies, Inc., one of the longest-standing
mutual property and casualty insurance groups in the Northeast, to scale its
core and portal systems, unify its data and help lay the foundation for
responsible AI adoption in underwriting and claims
Under the agreement, Cognizant will modernize integration of Andover's
core policy administration platform to its digital properties, build a new
enterprise data platform and strengthen the security of Andover's policyholder-
and agent-facing digital portals, including support for NYDFS cybersecurity
compliance, while helping Andover explore responsible AI use cases across IT,
underwriting and claims.
Throughout the term of the agreement, Cognizant
and Andover will focus on:
· Core platform integration and optimization: Providing
application and managed services across Andover's successful core system
modernization achievement with a policy administration platform. Integration
and optimization will include enhanced workflow, product & pricing
enhancements, platform upgrades, and API modernization. This model gives
Andover a single, accountable partner for the ongoing operation, support, and
continuous enhancement of its environment.
· Enterprise data foundation: Establishing
a governed, AWS-native enterprise data platform using a layered
"Medallion" architecture to consolidate data from Andover's core
systems, agency data management, and other sources into a single, trusted view,
with AI-enabled governance to help automate data-quality checks, metadata
management, lineage, and classification, supporting downstream AI models built
on accurate, well-governed, and audit-ready data.
· Security and compliance modernization: Leading
cybersecurity and application modernization work, including identity access
management and architecture hardening for Andover's MyAndover policyholder
portal and independent-agent portal, while supporting more robust regulatory
alignment for NYDFS compliance.
· Responsible AI exploration: Collaborating
with Andover's vision for the responsible and secure use of AI through a
jointly run AI exploration workshop to scope near-term, high-value use cases
for generative and agentic AI across underwriting, claims, and software
development & quality assurance with plans to prototype on Cognizant's
Neuro AI platform, which brings together generative AI, machine learning
and evolutionary AI under multi-agent orchestration with built-in
explainability and audit trails.
By scaling its core system interoperability and building a governed data
foundation first, Andover will mature its existing and modernized capabilities
to support faster, more consistent underwriting intake and claims handling,
while keeping underwriters and adjusters firmly in control of final decisions.
A more integrated, secure, and scalable platform is also intended to aid
Andover's agility and relationship strength with its independent agents, and to
scale capacity during surge periods, such as major weather events,
while laying the foundation for responsible AI adoption over time. As
that foundation matures, Cognizant intends to introduce generative and agentic
AI capabilities—drawing on its Neuro AI platform and industry-trained
models—to help accelerate submission intake, triage FNOLs and surface insights
for underwriters and adjusters, always keeping a human in the loop.
"Our approach has always been to enable Andover with technology
advantage without disruption, maintaining continuity for our policyholders and
agents today while building the foundation for tomorrow," said Kevin
McNamara, Chief Information Officer of The Andover Companies, Inc.
"Cognizant's deep experience with insurance platforms and as a leading
global consultancy, combined with our objective to scale downstream and
upstream digital capabilities, unlock the responsible use of AI, and protect
our data and the trust of our stakeholder community was a winning combination.
Cognizant's offering of industry expertise, skilled people, advanced technology
accelerators, and responsive partnership has given us the confidence to move
beyond our modernization success to further our goals of being the 'Easiest
Company to Do Business With', long-term profitability, and a trusted partner to
our Independent Agents and Insureds."
"We're proud to partner with a carrier
that has been serving its policyholders and independent agents for nearly two
centuries as it invests ahead of the market in its technology and data
foundation," said Nageswar Cherukupalli, Chief Sales Officer and Head of
Banking, Capital Markets, and Insurance at Cognizant. "Our work with
Andover reflects our approach to AI Builder engagements in insurance: to unlock
the value of core systems and establish trusted data first, then apply
AI—through platforms like Cognizant Neuro AI—carefully and
responsibly, in ways that support underwriters and adjusters rather than
replace their judgment."